Light Read
by Synthetically
Summary: "Whenever Green heard that loud, chirpy, all-too-familiar voice announcing her arrival at the entrance of his grandfather's lab, he always reminded himself that traveling up to Mt. Silver and freezing himself to death with Red would not stop that pesky woman from appearing in his life." Short chapters involving different shippings from Pokémon Adventure.
1. Alone

**Disclaimer: **I wish I owned Pokémon, but I don't.

* * *

Whenever Green heard that loud, chirpy, all-too-familiar voice announcing her arrival at the entrance of his grandfather's lab, he always reminded himself that traveling up to Mt. Silver and freezing himself to death with Red would not stop that pesky woman from appearing in his life. He was sure that several tons of snow and high altitudes would serve no obstacle for her, as long as she got an amusing and entertaining reaction when she shows up without warning. Some days, when he was tired of her loitering around the lab, occasionally sifting through files without interest (and no doubt placing the reports out of order) or making cocky comments about his "workaholic" attitude, he'd ask her if she had nothing better to do than to annoy him. She'd reply, with a proud smirk, "Don't pretend you don't like my company." However, even though Blue's presence never failed to distract him from making progress in his work, a small part of him looked forward to their meetings, as much as he tried to deny it from a cocky Gold (who should mind his own business for once) or a prodding Pearl (whom he sometimes wished would just leave him alone and practice his comedy act). Blue was always there, like a stray Pokémon you just couldn't shake off no matter how much you shooed it away, but at the same time, it left a warm feeling inside your heart, a feeling he tried not to think too much of.

Today was February fourteenth, Valentine's Day, Green noted with a mixture of exasperation and excitement (more exasperation than excitement, of course). He could almost hear the door flying open and the cry of, "I'm _here, _Green!" as his fingers flew over the keyboard, typing up a detailed document of Unown. Yes, Blue was about to make her entrance any second now, and no doubt would she try to persuade him to "get out of this lousy room and do something fun for a change" – her arguments this time would be even more persistent due to the cursed Valentine's Day.

What made it even worse was that the lab was empty except for himself, and therefore no one to side with him once the con-woman tries to convince him out of his work; Daisy had excused herself early, saying something about meeting Bill at a café that morning, the professor had run out to meet with an old friend, and Crystal had taken the day off to go on a picnic with Gold, making sure to bring an extra box of chocolates for her boyfriend as she did so ("You should go somewhere with Blue tomorrow," she had chirped cheerfully after informing him of her absence, before quickly excusing herself when she realized what she had just said.)

He kept his eyes on the computer, reminding himself not to be distracted by the fact that Blue had not shown up yet, but the ticking of the clock accentuated every second that she wasn't here – the door of the lab remained forever closed, and her voice did not sound in his ears. Half of his brain was trying to convince himself that the lack of appearance from the noisy girl was a good thing: silence was rare these days, and perhaps he could actually finish this report before lunch, but the other half felt slightly disappointed and even worried – had anything happened to her? Was that why she wasn't here yet, especially since it was Valentine's Day? He had expected her to visit him earlier and with more enthusiasm than normal, having found yet another reason to drag him to her favourite restaurant or park. He glanced at the clock displayed on his computer, frowning as he read the small "11:30 am" etched at the bottom of his screen. Normally, she would have dropped by an hour ago, but there was still no sign of her. Finally, he shook his head, muttering, "She has things to do, too, other than annoying the crap out of you. She wasn't supposed to come by the lab in the first place. Shut up and do your work."

As an hour passed, he found himself hating the isolation and the silence of the lab and missing the cheerful yet cocky tone of her voice when she teased him. Another hour flew by, and he tried not to yearn for her cooking, which she would sometimes bring in a plastic container as she scolded him about not eating too many cups of instant noodles and that she could always "pull some strings" to get some free meals at a decent restaurant. He would always protest, of course, saying how the food he ate was just fine, how she should mind her own business and stop bothering him, but her response of, "I'm your girlfriend and I should take care of you!" left him feeling slightly satisfied inside before his retort of, "What girlfriend?"

He bit his lip, ruffling his spiked and unruly hair. Should he give Yellow a call, ask her if she's been in touch with Blue lately (the quiet girl _had_ grown quite close to Blue over the years)? Or should he just ignore her absence; he could always question her about it the next time he saw her … whenever next time was. That did it. His mind was tired of solving the dilemma of whether he should visit Blue or not, it and had just made a choice, for the better or for the worse. The unusual silence, the lack of life in the lab convinced him to push back his chair, stand up stiffly, grab his jacket, and hurry out the door, grabbing a box of chocolate from the counter-top that Daisy had bought yesterday on the way out. The report might not get completed in time, and Blue would never let him live down the fact that the prideful Green, who often complained of her constant presence, visited her on Valentine's Day of his own free will, with a box of chocolate, no less. He could already see her smug, knowing grin when she answers the door, and later, the teasing gazes of the other Pokédex-holders as they mutter about his "true feelings for her".

No matter, he could always brush off their comments and the jokes and attention will soon shift to another pair (maybe the bickering Ruby and Sapphire ... or Red and Yellow, however shy they may be). With a sigh, he released his Charizard from its Pokéball and mounted, stating the address Blue had once told him to visit if he was ever lonely or needed her company - and here he thought he would never actually use it. He tried to ignore the sly, mocking glance his dragon-like Pokémon shot at him as it beat its large wings and rose steadily into the air, en route towards Blue's apartment. The whole time there, he flipped through his mind for excuses of why he decided to stop by.

(When he finally - reluctantly - arrived and knocked on Blue's door, the young con artist laughed and murmured into the phone she held to her ear, "See, Gold, I told you he would come!")

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First fanfic! Please tell me how I did - was it good? Crappy? And feel free to comment about what shippings you'd like to see next. Actually, please do. Thank you!


	2. Movie

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Pokémon, I would have my own laptop by now. But I don't.

Here's a new chapter. ( I think I updated this pretty fast, but it's probably because I don't have any friends to hang out with. ;n;)

This is SpecialShipping - I'll try my best to do FranticShipping next (Ruby x Sapphire, right?_ That'll _be fun to write, no sarcasm intended.)

* * *

While trudging through the illuminated streets of Saffron City, Yellow was deep in thought as she made her way near the large movie theater lighting up the block with its welcoming signs advertising new movies. A giggling group of teenage girls brushed past her, too engrossed with their conversation to pay attention to the quiet, petite girl that they had just elbowed aside – she stumbled a tiny bit, but regained her footing and continued walking, her high spirits never wavering. Today, after all, was the day that she would spend the beautiful afternoon with the rest of the Kanto Pokédex-holders and the visiting trio from Johto. To reunite with her old friends (and especially when most are too busy to be bothered) would be a great change of pace and would result surely on a good and happy note.

However, when she arrived in front of the grand movie theater, the only one standing by the glass doors was a mellow-looking boy, with his bright scarlet eyes hidden by a cap and strands of ebony black hair. He looked up sharply when she shyly called out his name, but he seemed to relax as he recognized her, nodding his acknowledgement.

"R-Red? It's nice to see you again!" Yellow greeted him enthusiastically, her cheeks settling onto a light shade of pink. She suspected it wasn't because of the cold.

His reply was a quiet smile, and then he gestured towards his phone which he held somewhat proudly in his hand (Yellow remembered that it was Blue who had pressured him into getting the cell phone – Red's arguments of, "There's no signal on Mount. Silver anyway!" proved to be useless against her persuasions). "I got a call from Gold a few minutes ago," he said, and the shy girl realized that his voice had grown huskier than the last time she'd heard it. "It seems that their plane got delayed due to bad weather, so they only arrived a few hours ago and are really tired. He also mentioned about how the hotel wouldn't let them leave unless he pay for the broken vase, but he hung up after that ..."

Yellow looked down, slightly dejected. "I was looking forward to seeing them again," she admitted, disappointed. "What about Blue and Green? Where are they?"

"I ran into Blue a while ago. She said she was taking Green out to get the results of her pregnancy test and apologized for bailing out on us."

Yellow almost choked, shocked and slightly embarrassed as she tried not to think of what the two older Dex-holders were doing behind closed doors. "W-What? But -" She hoped silently that her blush wasn't too noticeable.

Red cracked a rare grin, seeming pleased with himself as he opened the door of the movie theater and gestured for her to go inside. "It was a joke," he reassured, unaware that such a thing was uncommon for him. "Green seems to have caught a cold, and Blue's visiting him. She told us to enjoy the movie, though."

Yellow hesitated, her blush intensifying as she realized she was going to the movies _alone _with Red - she could almost hear Blue and Gold teasing her the next day, "So? How was your date? Did anything happen?" _No, no, it's not a date, _she told herself quickly as she and the dark-haired boy paid the friendly, overenthusiastic cashier for their tickets. _And it's not suspicious at all that everyone conveniently bowed out ..._

"Yellow?"

"A-ah, yes?" She peered up at the older boy timidly, willing herself to stop stammering nervously - after all, they were all friends, but her unmistakable red cheeks were not helping to prove the point.

Red shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans, and jerked his head towards a door leading to a movie theater, where a sign marked "_Rise of the Legendaries" _advertised the movie being played. "Here's the movie," he said, double-checking his tickets and heading inside the darkened room, leaving the chatter of customers and the quiet sound of the popcorn machine behind. Yellow followed him, slightly nervous, and cast one last glance back at the lights of the lobby and the food stand where a female employee and her Machoke were busy scooping popcorn and nachos.

"What's this movie about?" she asked, her voice coming out in a lower volume than expected. When Green had called her (she was surprised when she heard the familiar, low tone – she had always thought that Blue, Gold, or even Crystal would be the ones making plans to social gatherings), she had excitedly accepted the invitation without thinking or asking for further details.

Red shrugged, taking his seat in the back row. "I'm not sure, but Gold said that this movie is really popular in Johto," he noted. His somewhat quiet tone was almost drowned out by the conversations of the people in front of him, but, Yellow remarked, he didn't seem to notice or mind.

Their chat turned to silence, until finally, much to the young girl's relief, the lights were dimmed and the giant screen at the front of the room lit up; all conversation in the theater slowly died away as the movie started.

The light-haired trainer and the capped boy spent much of the movie in silence, their eyes fixated on the figures projected in front of them (Yellow occasionally stole a quick glance beside her, but Red's unwavering gaze remained forever on the screen). The movie illustrated a complex story – most of which Yellow didn't quite understand – where a young male trainer and a short-tempered, yet somewhat charming girl (which bore a distinct resemblance to Sapphire) go on a great adventure to prevent a group of legendary Pokémon from rebelling against and exterminating the human race.

There were some heart-stopping moments that made Yellow gasp and sit up straighter in her seat; a scene where the male protagonist's sister slowly succumbed to death made her duck her head in sympathy. Even so, a tiny corner of her mind was still on the trainer sitting beside her, much to her embarrassment. Red did not show any other emotion from the film other than a wince when a building suddenly collapsed from a giant wave, she noticed.

An hour passed, and the end of the movie was drawing near: the two main characters had managed to triumph, the legendary Pokémon disappearing back into hiding. Yellow was already gathering her jacket, preparing to leave after thanking Red for his company, until she realized there was one more scene left. The male and female leads were kissing passionately, their actions enlarged on the giant screen, and the innocent girl was relieved that her reddened cheeks were not visible in the dark room.

_This is no doubt the reason why Gold recommended the movie to us, _she thought to herself with a start, slumping down in her seat to avoid watching the two lovers. On impulse, she turned to Red, to see his reaction: she couldn't help but smile a bit when she saw that he had averted his eyes, too, and had drawn his cap lower in embarrassment. Two teenagers, over sixteen years of age, who are still so innocent. Red caught her gaze, his eyes somehow still sparkling so brightly in the dim room, and managed to give her a flustered smile. Her face promptly turned an even deeper shade of scarlet as she pretended to fumble with her getting her coat on.

The movie drew to a close, with the screen fading into black and the credits starting to roll in time to instrumental music that Platinum would enjoy. The lights flicked back on, and the crowd stood up, stretching their aching limbs from the two hour film. They exited the movie theater quietly.

Yellow was slightly relieved, yet at the same time disappointed, when Red apologized to her, explaining that he wanted to take a quick trip to Pallet Town before returning to Mt. Silver and that he would have to leave right away. She quickly assured him not to worry, that she'll be fine, and that he should visit more often. Red simply grinned and answered, "I'll be sure to come see you often." With that, he strolled away, vanishing into the crowds of people as he disappeared into the busy streets of Saffron City.

The shy girl tried to hide her embarrassed smile and walked away in the opposite direction, silently thanking the other Dex-holders for being conveniently busy and hoping that they'll watch another movie together soon.

* * *

/cries because I have a science test tomorrow but spent most of the day writing this

Please leave a comment, and feel free to suggest other shippings!


	3. Gone

**Disclaimer:** Still doesn't own Pokémon.

Didn't update for a long time, sorry about that.

Here is FranticShipping, as requested by the three people who commented (haha, thanks guys.) I tried to take Imaminecom's advice and add some more dynamics into it, so tell me if I succeeded? And also, I suck at tenses.

Didn't quite like the way I portrayed Sapphire, but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless.

* * *

She still remembers receiving that dreaded phone call.

It came late one night, on a chilly winter evening, right after she had taken a shower. She answered in her usual headstrong tone, pacing impatiently in her room from side to side, grumbling that if they were selling something, she wasn't interested. However, she immediately stopped in her tracks when she heard the grim words, "I'm calling from the hospital." She had frowned slightly, because both her parents were fine and safe, as far as she knew, and who could it be that was hurt? The man on the other side of the line hastened to introduce himself as Dr. Riepp, to explain that a young man by the name of Ruby had gotten into an accident, to add that he was calling to inform her of his condition. Smiling with relief, she carelessly shrugged off her worries when she heard it was the dark-haired coordinator in the hospital. After all, he was strong (not as strong as her, of course), having helped her save the world a few times – how injured could he be? Maybe he just pricked his finger with a needle while he was sewing, something minor like that.

It was horrifying how one simple sentence, which was spoken in such a quiet and reluctant manner, could make her heart shatter and her blood turn cold, as if the whole universe had just decided to come crashing down. No, now that she reflects upon it, that phrase, though only two words long, was anything but simple, because with it comes thousands of conflicting emotions - of shock, of regret, of grief. Yes, now that she reflects upon it, the words, "He's _dead_," is anything but simple.

First, she thought it was a joke. She waited for Gold to crack up on the other side of the wire, to throw away his faked seriousness, to tease in that carefree tone of his, "Did you believe me? Did we get you?" But there was nothing but silence, and as each second passed, she felt her will drop deeper and deeper into despair.

Then her fingers turned numb, and it felt like all the blood was rushing to her head, making the room spin. She dropped the phone and kicked it to the corner of the room, as if the distance would make this all go away. It bounced off the wall and landed with a soft _thump_ on the carpeted floor next to Toro, but she didn't bother picking it up because she was already out the door, running at full speed towards the hospital, her hair still wet.

As she ran, she couldn't help thinking of the last time she saw him, which was, she admitted regretfully, the last time they fought.

She had met up with him earlier today, dressed reluctantly in a pretty dress that he made for her despite her protesting and threats. They were walking along the Goldenrod City sidewalks, admiring the bright, twinkling lights and the smells of fresh, hot food being sold in vending carts. "Buy me a hot dog!" she had demanded, her mouth watering at the delicious aroma of meat and condiments. He teased her about her appetite, like he always did, and she smacked him on the arm, scowling.

Then they passed by a jewelry shop, and she had pressed her nose against the glass of the display window, gazing at an array of rings, sparkling like the sun. "Look," she breathed.

Ruby had frowned, shoving his hands the pockets of his coat. "I didn't know you were interested in jewelry," he remarked, grinning a bit at this new, shocking discovery. "I thought the only thing that caught your attention was battles, the wilderness …" – here, he wrinkled his nose in distaste, "… and myself, of course."

She glared at him, retorting with, "Battles and the wilderness happen to be exciting … unlike you." Her tone softened slightly, something that rarely happened, as she added, "Besides, it's not the rings I'm interested in. It's the thought of what they represent … you know, _marriage._"

Ruby blushed slightly, averting his gaze, but he managed to reply, "Marriage? Sapphire Birch is talking about marriage? What has the world come to? You know, marriage involves flowers, and manners, and _dresses _..." He paused in his teasing, and added seriously, "And commitment. Love. A vow to spend the rest of your life with somebody."

"I know what it means," she snapped, pulling herself away from the display and turning to face her partner. "But don't you think it's about time …" She stopped, but mentally screamed at herself to get a hold of herself, and she continued, "Don't you think it's time that we … get married? We're not going to be young forever you know; we're already twenty-six …"

Ruby shuffled back uncomfortably, which made her want to scream at Blue for bring the thought of marriage into her mind last night; she knew she shouldn't have encouraged the flirtatious con artist to bring up the subject. She blinked as the coordinator cleared his throat and mumbled that they should go somewhere else, muttering something about a new fabric shop that he'd like to visit.

"What?" she demanded. "Why are you avoiding the subject? Are you scared?"

Her partner steeled himself and answered, "No! It's just … because of your headstrong personality … no, that's not what I meant. But, I don't think I'm ready –"

"You see? You're always like this! Because of _my _personality? Is it all of a sudden my fault now? Why don't you face something straight on!"

"W-what?! I do face things straight on: I helped you keep Groudon and Kyogre from destroying the world, have you forgotten that? Maybe I actually _think things through_, unlike some people who just do what they want! Marriage isn't some game or some battle – it's not something you can rush into!"

"Maybe you don't _want _to marry me, is that it? Why don't you go marry some _lady, _who has _manners, _who doesn't go around all day swinging around vines, and doesn't mess up your wonderful clothes!"

"Maybe so!"

And they had stalked away, with not another word spoken, their anger hanging in the air as they left in opposite directions.

But to think, that that had been their last conversation …

She arrived at the hospital, pushing through the glass doors with more force than she intended to, her heart about to burst but not from the exhaustion of running. A nurse looked up from her desk and asked how she could help. But Sapphire Birch was beyond the point of help.

She demanded for the room number of a male named Ruby, practically screaming that she was in a hurry and that she should hurry up and tell her. The nurse, taken back, promptly responded with, "Room 324, it's on the third floor to your right."

She took off, not even stopping for the elevator, but straight for the stairs, her heart frantic and chaotic. As she neared the room – a small door with the numbers "324" glued on it – her steps slowed and her breathing became quick and shallow, like there wasn't enough air. The thought of seeing Ruby, his scarlet eyes closed, his body unmoving, made her sick and made her want to run and escape.

The doctor stepped out, as if he's been waiting, and solemnly asked her if she was Sapphire. She nodded, breathless, her eyes dull with despair, and he asked if she'd like to see the body. Her words got caught in her throat, and she blinked because she always said what she needed to say, and nothing held her back. Finally, she nodded again, and staggered towards the open door, where, on the other side, lay her dead lover.

The doctor proceeded to murmur, "I'm so sorry for your loss … We did everything we could," but it seemed rehearsed and distant. She didn't care for his sympathies, though. As she walked into the room, she saw his body, covered by a white sheet, immobile and peaceful.

"It was a hit and run," the doctor explained quietly, gazing at the body. "It was said he crossed the street without thinking, and didn't notice an oncoming truck. The truck hit him squarely, and the driver drove away before anyone had noticed."

She barely heard his words, but the thought of, "What if it's my fault that he died? What if he was so angry that he didn't notice the car?" flashed through her head. She lifted, with shaking hands, the sheet that covered his face. His hat had been removed, so the scar that he had gotten so many years ago was visible on his forehead, and his eyes were closed, so it looked like he was sleeping and he might wake up at any moment, demanding why he was covered with dirt and gripping how long it would take to wash it out of his clothes.

"I'm sorry," she finally moaned. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! This is my fault, isn't it? It's my … my fault …" She trailed off, and took his stone cold hands in hers, refusing to let go. And then, when it finally sunk in that he was gone, truly gone, she began to wail and cry, tears pouring down her cheeks as her chest felt tight and strangled by grief. For the first time in years, she cried without stopping, waves and waves of sadness washing over her.

The doctor and the nurse left the room, deciding to let this poor girl spend her final moment with her partner. She didn't notice them leaving.

Then she started to laugh through her tears, just slightly. If only he could see her now, the strong Sapphire Birch, crying her heart out, he'd no doubt tease her about her rare feminine side, and put those warm arms around her.

"Oh, yes." The doctor came back, slowly, reluctantly, into the room, his hand gripping a small, square box in his hand. "He was found with this in his pocket …You should keep it."

She snatched the box away, as if it was the most precious thing in the world, and it is, and she gently cracked it open. His final gift. Inside, a deep blue gem sat, a sapphire, nestled in velvet and a silver band. She choked back a sob, though somehow, she felt his comforting presence next to her. It was a ring.


End file.
